Worth the Risk
- Author
- Allison Schrager
- Narrator
- Erin Bennett
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 24 November 2026
- Run Time
- 5 hours 38 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Why fear of risk is holding us back, and how we can reclaim the confidence to thrive in unpredictable times
Something is out of sync in today’s economy. People feel insecure and unable to reach their potential. We worry that the world has become too risky, that investing is only for the rich, that our nest egg might not last, that it’s all or nothing. We retreat into lives of minimal uncertainty. Economist Allison Schrager argues that there has never been a better time to take risks, and yet we as a society have never been more risk-averse. She explains how the fears surrounding risk are unfounded—and that these myths are exactly why so many are falling behind. In the meantime, the very wealthy are still taking risks that generate outsized rewards and widen economic divides.
Blending economic history and behavioral science, Schrager traces how our understanding and tolerance of risk have changed—how we have become less willing to open a business, start a family, or even drive a car. Along the way, she reveals the secrets of unconventional risk-takers, from a mob hit man to America’s last frontiersman to a high-wire walker.
In this reassuring book, Schrager explains how to assess uncertainty, make better choices, and reclaim the upside of risk, allowing each of us to contribute to a more dynamic economy—and to live a more fulfilling life.
Critics Review
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“How should we think about risks in our lives? Although most of us think we are taking too much, are we actually taking much too little? Allison Schrager’s fascinating and deeply informed book will help you navigate a world in which you are probably not taking as many chances as you should.”—Kenneth Rogoff, author of Our Dollar, Your Problem: An Insider’s View of Seven Turbulent Decades of Global Finance, and the Road Ahead
“It’s the foundational principle in finance: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Every return requires risk. Eliminating the risk may eliminate the potential return—not just in markets, but, Allison Schrager argues, in life. Is playing it safe the riskiest thing we do? ”—Ian Bremmer, author of Every Nation for Itself: What Happens When No One Leads the World
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Allison Schrager
- Narrator
- Erin Bennett
- Duration
- 5 hours 38 minutes
- Release Date
- 24 November 2026
- ISBN
- 9798236010023
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Management decision making, Economics, Social, group or collective psychology
Synopsis
<p><strong>Why fear of risk is holding us back, and how we can reclaim the confidence to thrive in unpredictable times</strong></p><p style="text-align: start">Something is out of sync in today’s economy. People feel insecure and unable to reach their potential. We worry that the world has become too risky, that investing is only for the rich, that our nest egg might not last, that it’s all or nothing. We retreat into lives of minimal uncertainty. Economist Allison Schrager argues that there has never been a better time to take risks, and yet we as a society have never been more risk-averse. She explains how the fears surrounding risk are unfounded—and that these myths are exactly why so many are falling behind. In the meantime, the very wealthy are still taking risks that generate outsized rewards and widen economic divides.</p><p style="text-align: start">Blending economic history and behavioral science, Schrager traces how our understanding and tolerance of risk have changed—how we have become less willing to open a business, start a family, or even drive a car. Along the way, she reveals the secrets of unconventional risk-takers, from a mob hit man to America’s last frontiersman to a high-wire walker.</p><p style="text-align: start">In this reassuring book, Schrager explains how to assess uncertainty, make better choices, and reclaim the upside of risk, allowing each of us to contribute to a more dynamic economy—and to live a more fulfilling life.</p>
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